Bitcoin Rainbow Chart
What Is the Bitcoin Rainbow Chart?
The Bitcoin Rainbow Chart is a long-term valuation tool used to visualize Bitcoin’s price history. Unlike standard price charts, which can fluctuate wildly due to Bitcoin’s volatility, the Rainbow Chart plots price on a logarithmic scale, which accounts for Bitcoin’s exponential growth over time. This allows investors to ignore short-term noise and focus on the broader market cycle.
The Rainbow Chart was originally created as an interesting way to look at price action, but has evolved into a popular indicator for identifying market sentiment. Specifically, traders may use it to distinguish between times of peak hype and extreme fear in the marketplace.
How Does It Work?
The chart relies on a mathematical formula called logarithmic regression, which creates a curve that fits Bitcoin’s historical growth pattern. This curve is then divided into color-coded bands—like a rainbow— which indicate different market phases:
Red / Dark Orange (Top Bands)
These warm colors may suggest that the price has risen too quickly and that Bitcoin could be overvalued.
Yellow (Middle Bands)
This represents “fair value”, meaning the price is stable relative to its long-term trend.
Green / Blue (Bottom Bands)
These cool colors suggest the price of Bitcoin may be undervalued, presenting a potential buying opportunity.
Is the Rainbow Chart Accurate?
It is important to remember that the Bitcoin Rainbow Chart should not be viewed as an accurate predictive tool, as it is a lagging indicator. Fundamentally, it is a chart concerned with Bitcoin’s price history, and as with any kind of financial asset, past prices can not predict future price movements.
The Bitcoin Rainbow Chart is simply a tool that helps visualize market sentiment, somewhat similarly to the Fear & Greed Index, and some investors may find it useful in providing context to support their decisions. However, as with any market analysis tool, it should never be used in isolation to guide decision-making and is best used in conjunction with other indicators such as moving averages.